-
大脑植入电极恢复动物基本视力，未来或可造福盲人
荷兰神经科学研究所的一项最新研究表明，通过在大脑视觉皮层中植入新开发的高分辨率电极，可以使受试猴子大脑中出现人工植入的视觉形状和知觉。研究团队将1024个电极植入到猴子大脑的视觉皮层中，使得猴子能够辨别出字母、线条和移动的小点等形状。 研究小组表示通过使用全新分辨率的植入物和植入技术、尖端材料工程、微芯片制造和微电子技术，开发出比以前的植入物更加稳定和耐用的设备，且在视觉皮层中植入的电极数量，以及可以生成高分辨率人工图像的像素数量都是前所未有的 正常的视觉由眼睛观察和视觉神经传递信号到视觉皮层产生，植入电极产生视觉绕过了通过眼睛或视神经进行视觉处理的前一阶段，未来也许可以用无线传输方式将视觉信号传递给视觉皮层。研究人员表示这种技术将来可以用于恢复视网膜、眼球或视神经损伤或退化，但其视觉皮层仍然完好的盲人的低视力。
-
Reductive stress in neuroblastoma cells aggregates protein and impairs neurogenesis
Cells require a balance among oxidation-reduction reactions, or redox homeostasis. Loss of that balance to create oxidative stress is often associated with neurodegeneration. Less is known about how loss of that balance at the other end of the spectrum — reductive stress, or RS — may affect neurons. Now Rajasekaran Namakkal-Soorappan, Ph.D., associate professor in […]
-
Novel gene variants that modify the risk of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease discovered
Despite decades of research, genetic factors that predispose individuals to late-onset Alzheimer’s disease(LOAD) are not clearly understood. With a growing elderly population in the U.S. and many other developed countries, there is an urgent need for precise prognostic biomarkers and viable treatment options. Apart from advanced age, variants in the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene are […]
-
Damage to brain cells reverberates to ‘bystander’ cells
Injury or disease that afflicts a relatively small number of brain cells causes a chain reaction that stops activity across a vast network of neural circuits, according to new research from Oregon Health & Science University. The findings, published today in the journal Neuron, may help to explain why people can suffer from temporary but […]
-
Novel form of Alzheimer’s protein found in spinal fluid indicates stage of the disease
A novel form of an Alzheimer’s protein found in the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord indicates what stage of the disease a person is in, and tracks with tangles of tau protein in the brain, according to a study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Tau tangles […]
-
Astrocytes improve decision-making
Recent data from Dr. Perea’s group suggested that, apart from the role of astrocytes in the maintenance of synaptic transmission, these cells can sense and respond to synaptically released inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. Yet, astrocyte-neuron communication in brain circuits and its behavioral outcome remained unknown. This study aimed at investigating whether astrocytes actively participate in information […]
-
Grasping an object – model describes complete movement planning in the brain
Neuroscientists at the German Primate Center (DPZ) – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Göttingen have succeeded for the first time in developing a model that can seamlessly represent the entire planning of movement from seeing an object to grasping it. Comprehensive neural and motor data from grasping experiments with two rhesus monkeys provided decisive […]
-
Radicals seem to be good for the brain
Reactive oxygen molecules, also known as “free radicals”, are generally considered harmful. However as it now turns out, they control cellular processes, which are important for the brain’s ability to adapt – at least in mice. The researchers focused on the “hippocampus”, a brain area that is regarded as the control center for learning and […]
-
Baby’s first breath triggers life-saving changes in the brain
A team of researchers have discovered a signaling system within the brainstem that activates almost immediately at birth to support early breathing. That first gasp that every parent cherishes appears to trigger this support system. “Birth is traumatic for the newborn, as the baby has to independently take control over various important body functions, including […]
-
Hidden network of enzymes accounts for loss of brain synapses in Alzheimer’s
A new study on Alzheimer’s disease by Scripps Research scientists has revealed a previously unknown biochemical cascade in the brain that leads to the destruction of synapses, the connections between nerve cells that are responsible for memory and cognition. The findings present a fresh angle for discovering drugs that treat Alzheimer’s disease, which affects roughly […]